Republican Senator Olympia Snowe, a three-term veteran from Maine, will not stand for re-election this fall. Snowe, one of the handful of moderates left in the Senate, said she is tired of the gridlock that has paralyzed Congress.

Snowe, 65, was one of just three Republicans to support President Obama's stimulus package in 2009. Although she voted against the final health care bill in 2010, she was the only Republican Senator to vote for any version of the bill (she supported it in committee).

Her retirement is a big blow to Republican hopes of taking control of the Senate. With her seat almost certain to be picked up by a Democrat, Republicans would need to pick up a total of four seats (three if a Republican wins the White House) - and not lose any of their own vulnerable seats like Scott Brown's seat in Massachusetts - in order to take control of the Senate.

Republican Senator Olympia Snowe, a three-term veteran from Maine, will not stand for re-election this fall. Snowe, one of the handful of moderates left in the Senate, said she is tired of the gridlock that has paralyzed Congress.

Snowe, 65, was one of just three Republicans to support President Obama's stimulus package in 2009. Although she voted against the final health care bill in 2010, she was the only Republican Senator to vote for any version of the bill (she supported it in committee).

Her retirement is a big blow to Republican hopes of taking control of the Senate. With her seat almost certain to be picked up by a Democrat, Republicans would need to pick up a total of four seats (three if a Republican wins the White House) - and not lose any of their own vulnerable seats like Scott Brown's seat in Massachusetts - in order to take control of the Senate.

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I actually liked Olympia Snow. She was a sensible member of the GOP. I fact, it would not surprise me if she later says that the present GOP is not the party she joined, and has decided not to return due to that.